as in twitched
to make jerky or restless movements
the baby wiggled in her sleep
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Recent Examples of wiggled
Arndt allowed baserunners in each of the first five innings but wiggled out of most of the jams.
—
Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.
—Alina Hartounian, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
Over at the Place Pigalle, salty comedians told jokes as exotic dancers wiggled their stuff.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
Poking at the dirt outside of the home with a sharp metal rod soldered to a handle, Tello wiggled the rod around, pulled it out, and smelled it.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 27 Feb. 2026
Pierce wiggled, jumped, twisted, pulled, huffed and puffed his way out of that straitjacket, taking a little bow at the end.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
Dyes shot a double-leg takedown on Stockton and was about to bring him to the mat, but the nimble Stockton wiggled out and, in a blink, pinned Dyes for the win.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Feb. 2026
On her 2023 debut, the Montreal producer wiggled through new age, trip-hop, and ambient meditations delivered in an ASMR whisper.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Serena wiggled her neck at me, her face inches from mine.
—Datwon Thomas, VIBE.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.
—Alina Hartounian, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
Over at the Place Pigalle, salty comedians told jokes as exotic dancers wiggled their stuff.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
Poking at the dirt outside of the home with a sharp metal rod soldered to a handle, Tello wiggled the rod around, pulled it out, and smelled it.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 27 Feb. 2026
Pierce wiggled, jumped, twisted, pulled, huffed and puffed his way out of that straitjacket, taking a little bow at the end.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
Dyes shot a double-leg takedown on Stockton and was about to bring him to the mat, but the nimble Stockton wiggled out and, in a blink, pinned Dyes for the win.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Feb. 2026
On her 2023 debut, the Montreal producer wiggled through new age, trip-hop, and ambient meditations delivered in an ASMR whisper.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Serena wiggled her neck at me, her face inches from mine.
—Datwon Thomas, VIBE.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiggled
Verb
-
My jaw twitched uncontrollably.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
-
Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.—
Alina Hartounian,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Between each dance was an excruciating silence during which network-TV producers monitored and reset their equipment while the men fidgeted onstage like excitable children.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Belloumi’s 64th-minute strike with his left foot broke the deadlock in the second game of the two-leg affair and Gelhardt made sure with a low shot that squirmed past the Millwall goalkeeper.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
-
His Japanese guest, usually a paragon of diplomatic cool, visibly squirmed.—
Andreas Kluth,
Twin Cities,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This recipe shows the humble white button mushroom’s versatility in a savory sauce thickened with heavy cream and flavored with garlic and shallots and tossed with chicken meatballs.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 May 2026
-
The pork is served over a bed of spaghetti tossed with fresh arugula, whose peppery bite adds a bright, fresh contrast.—
Linda Gassenheimer,
Boston Herald,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
John jerked Maggie back by the elbow and stopped her from stepping into the street.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
-
My empty paper bowl jerked along the belt, stopping under each funnel.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
And, in the aftermath of a stomach-churning stick-up that twisted my guts with the queasy horror of a repressed memory, Gary is given a week to make the problem go away.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
-
Roger Ebert, who half-heartedly praised the music, gave it one star, then twisted the knife.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
But what does some scientist know about eating fruit, of all things, when your hamstring feels like it’s being fiddled by Satan?—
Dan England,
Outside,
5 Feb. 2026
-
As Rossini stowed her purse in a tiny back office, a manager named Katie Atlas was onboarding a new employee, a young woman who fiddled nervously with her necklace.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wiggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiggled. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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